Go will have “the fastest and widest-ranging mobile network in Malta” by the beginning of 2012, thanks to a multimillion investment to replace its infrastructure and double its number of base stations, the company said.
The infrastructural upgrade will mean faster, more reliable mobile internet and vastly improved network coverage, Go’s chief technical officer Michael Mertsch explained.
The announcement was made yesterday in St Julians during the signing of the agreement between Go and selected partners Nokia Siemens Networks.
Speaking at the signing, Go CEO David Kay said the project would involve replacing its entire GSM and 3G radio infrastructure with state-of-the-art equipment from Nokia Siemens Networks.
Mr Kay said this was one of several investment projects Go was undertaking. The company was also investing in its fixed line networks, its IPTV service, customer service department and staff training, as part of its commitment to invest €100 million over the next six-year period.
Explaining the new network, Mr Mertsch said the new base stations would use 50 per cent less power than existing ones. This, he said, meant they were substantially better in environmental terms, in line with Go’s social responsibility objectives. The reduced power required by the new stations would also go some way towards addressing health concerns.
The upgraded network will run on fibre optics and will significantly increase Go’s mobile network capacity.
Dropped calls, Mr Mertsch explained, would become a thing of the past. The modernised network will also provide a stable base for the introduction of the next generation of mobile technology, such as 4G.
The upgrade is due to start over the next few days. In the first phase of the project, due to be completed by the end of the year, all existing base stations will be replaced with new ones. The second project phase will begin in 2012, when additional base stations will be installed across Malta and Gozo.
Joao Picoito, head of Nokia Siemens Networks’ South East Europe region, spoke of Malta’s investment potential. The island had a broadband penetration rate higher than the EU average, he said.
This, when coupled with the million-plus tourists who visited the Maltese islands every year, made Malta an attractive location for Nokia Siemens Networks.
Parliamentary secretary Charlò Bonnici also attended the signing. In a brief address, he spoke of the ever growing importance IT played in people’s lives.
Mobile traffic had increased exponentially since 2003, he said, and next generation mobile technology would revolutionise the way in which people used their mobile phones. It was important, Mr Bonnici concluded, that government kept a pace with such developments.